


It Takes a Village

by morestringthanpearls



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, High School, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28861008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morestringthanpearls/pseuds/morestringthanpearls
Summary: Set during Season 2, after Caroline's transition.Caroline is enrolled in Home Economics to hold on to her humanity, Stefan is enrolled in Home Economics to keep an eye on Caroline, and both of them are in way over their heads.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Stefan Salvatore
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	It Takes a Village

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic in like 2014 and weirdly got some inspiration back for it, though it's probably going to be wildly different from what I originally planned, seeing as I can't remember what I originally planned.
> 
> Inspired by a tumblr post that I've since lost and can't link, [this episode](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0519438/) of [Batman Beyond](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147746/?ref_=tt_ov_inf), and [these tags](https://threadsandspiderwebs.tumblr.com/post/103449168223/recklesselegance-favorite-movies-life-as-we) by [threadsandspiderwebs](https://threadsandspiderwebs.tumblr.com).
> 
> Canon relationships are still canon in this fic, but the focus is on Stefan/Caroline.

It was the week after her transition and the exact day of the add/drop deadline that Stefan transferred into her home economics class.

Naturally, she was suspicious.

The class wasn’t exactly filled with aspiring Martha Stewarts, minus the prison time. It mostly consisted of kids who wanted the easy A but didn’t have the talent required for art or the enthusiasm for possible limb amputation necessary for shop, with the addition of a small group of stoners who were clearly only invested in the culinary aspect of the curriculum.

Caroline had signed up for the class last semester when having more to do in the increasing amount of time her mother spent holed up in the Sheriff’s office had seemed like a good idea, before her induction into the supernatural world had necessitated the acquisition of an entirely different set of survival skills. She had stayed enrolled in the class thinking it might help keep her connected with her humanity at best and bore her to re-death at the worst.

Stefan didn’t fit in any of those categories. Still, she might have shrugged off his unexpected appearance if he hadn’t also popped up in her sections of AP European History and Honors Chemistry.

She raised a lone eyebrow as he silently collected a syllabus from a smiling Mrs. Gant and slid into the empty seat next to her. When he appeared to be thoroughly engrossed in the lecture and intent upon completely ignoring her, she gave him a sharp poke with her elbow.

“What, exactly, do you think you’re doing?”

He leaned over to her side of the table and glanced surreptitiously at her open textbook. “Furthering my education on the mechanics of, uh, household management. Obviously.”

Caroline now raised both her eyebrows. “Really? Because she’s talking about needle size and thread type.”

Stefan just shrugged. “Well, I haven’t missed the good stuff then.”

“Seriously? I know exactly what you’re doing.”

Now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows. “Caroline. Are you implying I’m not here to further my education on the mechanics of household management?”

She scoffed. “I am perfectly capable of adjusting on my own.”

He studied her face for a moment before speaking in a softer tone, “I know that.”

He turned his attention back to the front of the classroom. She watched his profile, finally heaving a sigh that had him biting his lip in an attempt not to further provoke her. She pushed her textbook across the table, positioning it evenly between them.

“I’ll make you copies of my notes from last week.” She couldn’t stop herself from tacking on, “You’re ridiculous.”

This time, Stefan didn’t bother trying to hide his smile.

As he looped the thread to make the final stitch, his view was momentarily obscured by flaxen curls.

“Seriously! How are you even doing that?”

He ducked his head as a grin overtook his face. “I guess I’ve, uh, had a lot of practice.”

“We just started this today,” she huffed, tossing her tangled web of stitching down upon the table.

Stefan tied the end of his thread into a square knot and set his work next to Caroline’s. She looked between them, glaring.

“Yeah, I, uh, meant _before_.” He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping she’d understand the implication.

Her gaze shifted to him, but he couldn’t quite read her expression. “Didn’t you have, like, maids to do this kind of thing for you?”

He huffed a laugh, picking up her project and beginning to untangle the strands. “Yes, we did, but one day, when Damon was back from the army for a short time, I caught him hidden away in his room, doing all his own stitching. Part of me was horrified, the other part thought it was hilarious. Damon assured me that in the army, all the men tended to their own garments. After that, I decided I should learn too.” He freed the last part of her thread from the fabric before placing an evenly spaced starting stitch.

He handed it back to her, and she took the needle from him absently. “You mean to tell me that _Damon_ sews? Damon _sews_?”

Stefan shrugged and leaned to rest an elbow on their work table.

Caroline tapped the needle against the tabletop and studied his face before before scrunching her nose. “Well, I can certainly think of a few things he ought to sew shut.”

He pursed his lips and nodded before carefully taking the needle from her hand. “Here, let me show you.”

She moved closer to him, her chin almost resting on his shoulder as she watched him demonstrate the blind stitch. He placed three neat stitches, exaggerating his movements for Caroline to follow, and then turned toward her with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. “I’ve got this. Let me try.” She reached around him for the needle as a gasp came from the opposite corner of the room.

The scent of blood followed instantaneously.

The class’s attention was diverted- Mrs. Gant was reaching for paper towels and ordering another student to the cupboards for antibiotic ointment and a bandage. Only Stefan and Caroline remained still, their posture stiff, staring at each other with wide eyes.

Caroline’s gaze fell to his hand still upon the table, his knuckles white. There was no circulation in the small classroom, and the one drop of blood had so permeated the air that she could already taste it on her tongue. She licked her lips and vaguely registered that Stefan was urging her to focus on her breathing, but it was too late. Her gums began to itch and she could feel her fangs lengthening. She squeezed her eyes shut, but that just filled her head with the steady drumming of her classmates’ pulses.

She reached for Stefan’s hand, but he was ahead of her, already grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward the door. He threw some excuse over his shoulder in the direction of Mrs. Gant before pushing Caroline into the hallway and kicking the door closed behind them.

They stood in the empty corridor, hands on knees, gasping the clear air. Stefan turned Caroline to face him and kept his hands firmly on her shoulders.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

She took a deep breath, and as she released it, her expression slowly smoothed to one of calm. “I’m fine.” She crossed her arms and looked down at her shoes. Stefan lifted her chin to look into her eyes. She blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” he spoke softly, taking her face between his hands. “No, Caroline, it’s okay. Look, you were great. This was only your second encounter with blood since turning. What you did in there was amazing. You were losing control, and you reached for help. Okay? When I was in your position, I didn’t even want help.”

She searched his eyes, finding nothing but sincerity. She swallowed thickly and raked a hand through her hair.

“Okay?” He repeated.

She nodded slowly. He nodded along. “Okay,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper. He smiled reassuringly, and she found herself mirroring it. She opened her mouth, not sure what she wanted to say, but what came out was, “Do you want to go to The Grill for lunch?”

Taken by surprise, Stefan let out a laugh, his dimples showing. Caroline couldn’t help the grin plastered across her face at getting such a reaction from him.

“Caroline, it’s only ten-thirty.”

Still grinning, she just shrugged her shoulders. “So I’ll kick your ass at a round of darts first.”

He nodded his head, pretending to contemplate this new suggestion. “I think I’d like to see that.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he gestured behind him to the class they had just vacated, “If you can’t hit your mark when it’s right in front of your face, how’re you gonna beat me when you’re standing eight feet way from it?”

Caroline just laughed and shook her head before giving him a slap across the shoulder. “Shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> You may be asking yourself, is she basing all of her home economics knowledge on the class she took years ago in high school and the information readily found on wikipedia? And the answer is yes. Don't @ me.


End file.
